Episode 8: I Hold You Dear
After finishing our task, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Angelica and Eris, who had sustained serious injuries, were on the mend, and for the time being, our immediate concerns had dissipated.
However, Angelica still lay unconscious. If she didn’t wake up soon, I’d have to resort to forcibly rousing her. I wanted to make sure Ash, who had desperately protected them, would at least express some gratitude.
Yet, I couldn’t voice that thought. According to Sensei, the excessive Mana supplied by Hinokagutsuchi, the spellcaster Angelica, had left her in a state of extreme Mana depletion. If Sensei hadn’t intervened when he did, she could have been in grave danger.
Considering the situation, it was clear that Mika’s party was already in shambles.
But it wasn’t just them who were exhausted. Ash, though conscious, was utterly spent, and it was impossible for us to continue fighting without a break.
The cause of this exhaustion was the Skill known as Sanctuary Genesis. Sensei had explained that this Skill was an incredibly rare and powerful one, with almost no one possessing it. Its specific effect was to halve the damage taken by allies recognized as such by the user from the moment the Skill was activated until the end of the battle. The performance was astonishing enough to make me doubt my ears. However, as expected, the backlash was immense; after using it, the user would be left completely drained of both Mana and physical stamina, rendering them unable to act, just like Ash was now.
Perhaps due to the nature of the boss room, the fog that had been swirling around us moments ago had vanished. Taking this opportunity, we decided to set up camp and rest after our half-day exploration and life-threatening boss battle.
However, not far from us—far behind me—Saintess Mika and her two companions were resting.
It was curious, or rather, upon reflection, it made sense. Angelica had only just awakened, so it wasn’t surprising that they thought to take a break here as well. It wasn’t surprising… though I found it somewhat unwelcome.
Shaking off my thoughts, I decided to prepare a meal, pulling out a portable stove from my Magic Bag. Sensei and Ash were chatting casually beside me.
“Ash, you’ve done well to acquire a Skill that can be considered a significant achievement at such a young age.”
Sensei praised Ash, who blushed at the compliment.
“No, I’ve just been doing my best without thinking too much.”
She was being modest, but… well, perhaps it was true. Given her somewhat clumsy nature, she had undoubtedly been charging ahead, following the path she believed in with reckless determination. However, that recklessness was certainly not the ordinary kind; it was the genuine, unyielding kind.
After securing a fire and laying out the dishes, I warmed up the bread and stew I had taken from my Magic Bag. At the same time, I lightly toasted cheese to place on the bread and cooked some sausages, serving them onto plates. The meal was prepared quickly, but the taste was undeniably good—there was no way it could be anything but delicious.
“Just as expected, Son-in-law. I’ll take extra cheese, please.”
“I never thought I’d get to enjoy such a delicious meal in a place like this.”
Their reactions were quite positive. It was only natural; the aroma alone was enough to tell.
“Delicious!” Sensei exclaimed as she dug into her meal, while Ash hesitantly began to eat.
I encouraged them, saying, “Come on, eat up!”
I had piled enough food on the large plate to feed more than three people. Once we filled our stomachs, our spirits would surely lift.
“Row-kun,” Ash called out to me just a few minutes into our meal, bowing her head.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
What could it be? I felt her gaze flicker momentarily behind me.
There stood Saintess Mika and her two companions. They were clearly exhausted. Mika was slowly trying to wash down some hard bread with water, while Angelica and Eris, who had been on the brink of death moments ago, seemed unable to eat.
“The food you made, Row-kun, is really delicious. So, um…,” Ash hesitated, and I could sense what she wanted to say.
I couldn’t bring myself to respond to her request. It seemed she was also struggling to find the right words, perhaps out of consideration for me.
“I know it’s really presumptuous to ask you this, but I still want to. Could you share some of the delicious food you made with them over there?”
“Ah…”
Ash wore a face like a child who had done something wrong. I didn’t want to see her looking so sad. I didn’t feel any displeasure towards her request; in fact, I respected her kindness. But that wasn’t the issue. I couldn’t articulate my feelings, and all that came out were blunt words.
“…Fine, I’ll share. But Ash, I’ll serve the food onto the plates, and that’s it. You’ll have to take it to them yourself.”
I sighed and replied.
After a while, Ash took a plate over to them and began some sort of conversation.
“Ash… even after everything she’s been through, she’s so capable. I can’t be like her.”
From a distance, I couldn’t hear the specifics of their conversation. However, I could see that after talking with Ash for a bit, they finally began to eat from the plate.
Sensei followed my gaze.
“Son-in-law, don’t misunderstand. I have my share of people I dislike, and I sometimes wish they would all just disappear. So, it’s not necessary for everyone to be a saint.”
She smiled gently, her eyes narrowing with warmth.
“I know—both I and Sena know your kindness very well.”
Sensei glanced at the large plate for a moment, then chuckled.
“You really made a lot, didn’t you?”
She patted my head, and I felt her warmth through her palm.
“I love you, Son-in-law, for all your clumsiness, your humanity, and your sensitivity—all of it.”
Suddenly, something welled up inside me. If I let my guard down, tears would spill over. I fought to hold them back.
Thinking that the road ahead was still long, we decided to secure a bit of sleep and resumed our exploration a few hours later.
As we descended the stairs to the third level, I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind. It was Ash.
“Row-kun, are you angry?”
She looked at me with the expression of a wet dog.
“I’m not angry.”
“Really?”
“Really. I respect that part of you, Ash.”
That was—something I lacked: compassion.
“It’s not that great.”
Perhaps Ash had her own thoughts on the matter.
“More importantly, you’re moving at an incredible speed.”
I was taken aback by the three in front of me. Though Angelica had recovered from her Mana depletion, she was still far from fully healed. Given her immense Mana reserves, her suffering was incomparable to that of an ordinary Mage.
Thus, Angelica was being carried by Ash, who had fallen asleep again. It made me think that the three in front of us were—
“Yeah, it feels like they could manage just fine on their own…”
Sensei, having decided to step in for Angelica, said, “I’ll go lend my support to Mika’s party.”
Her efforts were truly impressive. With a mysterious dagger that Sensei had pulled from somewhere, she traced intricate patterns in the air. From those patterns, a dragon of light burst forth.
“Gwaagyaaahhh!!!”
The deafening roar made us cover our ears. The dragon of light energetically flew around, devouring the fog in the area in no time.
“Is this a kaiju battle or something?”
Such a spectacle unfolded before our eyes.
We must have walked for over ten hours at that pace. Just then, Sensei and the others ahead came to a halt.
When we caught up to Sensei, she said, “Looks like we’re back at the boss room again.”
“Last time, it was the son-in-law who took care of it…”
Perhaps to loosen her muscles or because her arms were itching for action, Sensei rotated her shoulders in a circular motion.
“Next, let’s go take down our boss!”
With that declaration, Sensei arched her chest dramatically, as if to emphasize her determination.